Below the Suface
by RMVHXtreme
Summary: Aquaria fanfiction: Li knew that there was something up with the waters below where the floating island had crashed, but he couldn't have expected to find an entire world straight from his dreams, an adventure to discover its origins...and a loving companion to share it with. Novelization of Aquaria starting from the introduction of Li. Rated K-plus for mild violence.
1. Strange Island

**Okay, so this fanfiction is for a game from 2007 called Aquaria, by the indie game developers known as Bit Blot. Unfortunately, despite its artistic and dramatic greatness, it was so unpopular that it never got a sequel like it should have-in fact, Aquaria was the only game Bit Blot ever made. Also, this website doesn't even have Aquaria as a category, hence this fanfiction being located in the "Misc. Games" section. Thankfully, it's still available on Steam for ten bucks, tagged as "Metroidvania," which (for those who don't already know) basically means it's based around exploring and gaining new abilities in order to be able to explore further. Also, you can find at least one or two playthroughs on YouTube if you want.**

 **Really, though, you probably don't need to play the game to understand the story , but for the unlikely one person who is already familiar with Aquaria, this will be a partial novelization of the game, starting from the introduction of Li. It will be told from both Naija and Li's perspectives, and as you may expect, there will be some changes from the actual game.**

 **I thought it would be interesting if Li were less of a sidekick character.**

* * *

This island was my favorite vacation spot. Not because of the nice weather, nor the solitude, nor even the calm waters, but instead because of what lied under the surface of the waters...as well as what _might_ lie there.

Several years ago, I had heard legends of this island, which lied near the spot where Nimbit, the first floating island ever to be colonized, was brutally destroyed by a meteor shower about a century ago. Very little of its remains were ever found, and ever since then, astronomers were stationed on floating islands in order for their denizens to be evacuated in the case of another such disaster. Myths were told that the waters below the island had become haunted with the spirits of those who had perished in the carnage, but of course, nothing could confirm such an idea. What was true, however, was that these waters were home to many dangerous creatures...but it made for one heck of a fishing spot.

Having never been one to shy away from danger, I made my first trip out to the island several years ago. I brought with me my basic camping materials and my best fishing gear, hoping to score a catch from which I could profit substantially. What I did find, however, was absolutely priceless.

On my second day of fishing, I had already caught many commonplace fish, but nothing worth the expedition so far. As I was searching for a new fishing spot, I noticed something quite peculiar in the water in front of my boat: a person's head. Specifically, a child's head...except they had strange skin and hair colors and fins on the sides of their head. The child waved at me, and quietly sank into the ocean.

I was stunned physically, while my mind seemed to run at about a hundred thoughts per second. Were the legends true? Was this island really haunted? Or was this something else entirely, as in...some sort of mermaid?

Or...maybe I had just imagined the whole thing. Maybe it was some sort of illusion or trick of the light.

No, I knew what I had seen, and I definitely wasn't dreaming. There was a mysterious creature living in the water near this island, one seemingly bearing a strong resemblance to a human. And if there was one, there had to be more. And I would be the one to find these creatures and learn more about them.

Every summer from then on, I would journey back to the island for weeks on end and search day and night for anything extraordinary. In the more recent years, I had gone so far as to rent scuba gear so I could dive below the surface for a better view. I also implanted a memory crystal into my helmet in order to capture proof of my findings.

The waters below the surface turned out to be surprisingly clear, in fact, I figured I could see for hundreds of yards in any direction. From here, I could tell what was so dangerous about these waters: they were filled with electric jellyfish, giant eels, and great white sharks. Several times I thought I could hear music coming from somewhere, but I assumed I was only imagining it.

Just below the surface, I discovered a cave containing land, light, and an entire memory crystal twice my size. The small crystal on my helmet could only contain a small amount of information; I would be able to transfer much more of my experiences to this larger one. The cave itself would also serve as a perfect save haven for my stay on the island.

One day, though, my destiny was finally realized.

I was swimming near a great white shark, which I had done many times before; given that I never interacted with sharks, they never saw me as a threat, nor did my geared-up form appear edible. Therefore I was greatly shaken when the shark suddenly gave off a thundering roar.

I immediately began to swim away, thinking that the shark was about to attack me. When I looked back, however, I realized that the shark was the one being attacked.

A creature about my size appeared to be throwing glowing energy blasts at the shark through the water. The creature had glowing, emotionless eyes, brown skin, and hands that were on fire despite being underwater. The shark attempted to bite it in self-defense, but this... _demon_ was fast; it would propel itself away from the shark's jaws with its powerful legs and continue to fire. At last, the shark could not endure the destruction wreaked upon it; it gave one last cry of agony before sinking down to the ocean floor, which I might add was about a hundred feet below.

I started to record the demon's image on my memory crystal. I would need to notify authorities of its existence. An entity this dangerous could not be allowed to roam freely. Suddenly, right before my eyes, the demon transformed into...a woman.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, with short white hair and teal skin. Her feet were webbed, her head had fins on either side, and she was wearing a long pink cape. Was this the creature I had been searching for over the past eight years? Then I noticed her eyes...staring right at me.

I then remembered what I was looking at: this was a demon that had fought a great white shark and killed it without a hitch. I had to get out of here before I was destroyed as well. I started to swim in the opposite direction, only for her to follow me. No matter which way I turned, she would always be right behind me. In a panic, I retreated to my cave.

Assuming the demon's fire powers would only grow stronger outside of the water, I continued to swim under the surface until I reached the end of the cave. She had me cornered; she could have killed me right then and there, but instead she just...stared at me for a moment. Then she sang a few notes, her beautiful voice echoing off the walls of the cave...and then my helmet flew right off of my head.

Apparently she had realized that I cannot breathe underwater, and decided to drown me instead of incinerating me. But just as I had lost all hope, without igniting herself, she came closer, and... _kissed me._

At that moment, I felt every ounce of fear vanish from my soul. I could just as well feel a mysterious force manifest around us. It felt magical, loving, and...melodious. I had never felt safer in my life than I did right now with...Naija. Somehow I knew that was her name.

I had gone into a trance; I had completely forgotten that I should have been drowning, or even what I was doing here in the first place. All that mattered was us...me...and Naija...

* * *

When I came to my senses, the first thing that came to my mind, oddly enough, was a strange three-note song. I didn't know where I had heard the song; in fact, I couldn't remember ever hearing it at all. I found that I had trouble even remembering falling asleep, let alone passing out outside my tent. As I stood up, I realized that I was still wearing my scuba suit, except without the helmet, but as my feet floated slightly above the ground, I realized something much more urgent: _I was underwater._

I immediately swam straight up to the surface to take a breath, subconsciously noting that I did not need to breathe so badly once I had access to air. I climbed out of the water and walked over to my tent, and then I took a moment to sit back and remember what had happened before I lost consciousness. As I was thinking, I glanced into the water, and saw a woman.

 _Naija._

Suddenly it came back all at once: the fight with the shark, the chase, the kiss, the trance...and here she was, sleeping in my cave. She couldn't have been a demon, or I would have been dead already. Instead, I felt happy and safe around her. Then another thought occurred to me: if we both fell asleep underwater, then...did that mean I could breathe water?

I jumped back into the water and waited until I felt the need to inhale, only to find that I _didn't_ need to inhale. It seemed that Naija had granted me the ability to breathe underwater. Speaking of Naija, I no longer cared about documenting her species for personal gain; I discovered that I only wanted to know more about _her,_ to understand her...to be near her. But that would have to wait until she woke up; for now, I was craving fish.

Now, this I found strange, given that fish were never my favorite food. But I had already caught several fish during my vacation for sustenance purposes, so I didn't hesitate...except when I went to start a fire and cook a fish, when I realized that I wanted it _raw._ What on Terra had gotten into me?

Taking a bite straight out of the fish without making any efforts to prepare it properly, I discovered that I did indeed prefer it this way; why did we even bother cooking fish when they tasted this good raw? Then I had an even more frightening thought: _was I still even human?_

I gazed at my reflection in the water. I looked the same as I always had: black hair, white skin, human shape. I even shifted my toes around under the flippers of my suit just to be sure. The only difference now was how I felt: I felt drawn to the water, with Naija. And that's exactly where I went.

The waters of this island were normally warmer than in most places given its tropical location, but now they were _comfortable._ And now I knew I could hear music; it was very faint, but it was there. A comforting twelve-note melody, coming from everywhere and nowhere. Yet the song I was more interested in was the song I had learned upon waking up:

 **; () ^**

As I hummed these notes, I was able to perceive three strange symbols: a red drop, a green ellipse, and two teal leaves pointing downward. After I hummed the song, though, I briefly saw a much clearer, blue, L-shaped symbol. Then I heard a small sound coming from below.

Naija was waking up.

* * *

 **I was originally just going to write a one-shot about this moment, but then I figured, screw it, I'm not stopping here. To be honest, I don't really expect anyone to read this, but the fact that you are right now clearly proves otherwise. So I'll just say: thank you so much, and please don't forget to review...it would mean the world to me. But no pressure.**


	2. Use the Verse, Li

**Don't know why, but I'm particularly proud of the name I came up with for this chapter. I mean, has anyone else noticed that the Verse is a lot like the Force?**

 **Also, I'm unfortunately going to have to recycle some of the narration from the game in this. Like I said, I want to change some things, but the overall plot is still the same.**

* * *

 **Naija**

Slowly, I awoke. For a moment I had no idea where I was, let alone how much time had passed. As I lifted myself up from the floor, I saw a man wearing a strange blue suit.

 _Li._

I began to remember the most recent events: I had found another like me, and he was not hostile. It was odd to think that I was the only person left alive.

Suddenly, I became aware of every flaw in my appearance; I felt exposed. Color rose to my cheeks and I struggled to hide my shame. As I reached to cover my face with my hand, Li must have interpreted my action as fear, as he spoke: "Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you."

I lowered my hand to look at him, and he held out his hand. "I'm Li."

I gently took his hand in mine. "I know," I spoke softly. "I'm Naija."

He smiled. "I know."

For the next few moments we simply stared into each other's eyes, and said nothing...until Li blushed as he broke eye contact and held out a fish. "Do you...want something to eat?"

I looked at the fish he was offering me, not knowing whether or not to accept. I had plenty of my own food, and I had no way of knowing if Li needed it more than I did.

"It's fine, I have more," he assured me.

I took the fish from his hand and smiled. "Thank you," I said before I began to eat.

Li produced his own fish, and we both lowered ourselves and began to relax on the plant beds on the floor of the cave. As we ate, I began to notice that Li appeared to be troubled about something. "Excuse me for asking, but...are you alright?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he replied. "Oh, I don't know, it's just...ever since you kissed me a while ago, I've been able to breathe water, which humans normally can't do, and suddenly I like to eat raw fish...I've never liked raw fish before..."

I most certainly did not enjoy seeing Li so unhappy, so distressed, and thus my mind raced to think of something to say that would please him. At the same time, however, I realized that I did not wish to lie to him either, so I settled on telling him what I knew.

"Truthfully, I do not know why you have been affected in such ways," I stated, "but it may have been caused by our connection through the Verse."

"What's the Verse?" Li inquired. "Is it that song I've been hearing lately?"

I smiled; I could tell that Li was not a creature of the water. "The Verse is a mysterious force that flows throughout Aquaria and binds every living thing as one," I explained. "Though it seems to have connected us more intensely than usual."

"Oh, really?" Li replied. "Have you kissed a lot of guys but never gotten such a strong reaction?"

I laughed. "No...in fact, never in my memory have I met someone as similar to myself, and yet...so different."

Li smiled warmly. "I've never met anyone quite like you either, Naija." He paused to eat a little; I decided to do the same. "So is there anything more you can tell me about the Verse?"

"It can be manipulated through song, and certain creatures react strongly to it," I elaborated. "Observe this jellyfish as I sing."

I gestured toward a small, yellow-green jellyfish drifting above us and sang the o note, and as I did so, the jellyfish began to glow in a blue hue. When I sang ;, it turned red, and it became yellow in response to the v note. "Would you like try it yourself?" I offered Li.

"I don't know," he answered. "I've never really been much of a singer."

"If you would prefer, humming the notes would be just as effective," I suggested.

"Alright, if you say so."

Li began to hum the () note, and though it was quiet, I could feel it in the water surrounding me just as well as when I sang. And just as if I were singing the note, the jellyfish began to glow a darker shade of green.

"Wow," Li expressed. "How long has the Verse existed?"

"For as long as I can remember," I answered, "and most likely much longer."

As Li continued to experiment with the jellyfish, I began to wonder something even more interesting. If Li could live in the water and manipulate the Verse through his connection to me...would he also be able to use the powers that the Verse had granted me?

"Li," I called out, diverting his attention from the jellyfish, "repeat after me: **u o u o** "

As the Shield formed around me, I watched Li as he hummed the song back.

" **u o u o"**

Li dropped his fish and quickly rose from the floor, surprised to find that the Shield now existed around him as well. "Whoa, what just happened?"

"That was the Shield Song," I elaborated happily. "Whenever it is sung, the Verse creates a barrier around the singer that protects against energy projectiles..." I approached him and touched his shoulder, "...but not from close contact with other creatures."

Li appeared awestruck with what he had been able to bring forth. "Wow...what else can the Verse do?"

I pointed to a square object made of a hard, brown material, with a strange symbol marked on the front. "Try focusing on that object and singing this song: **() ^ o** "

Li repeated the song while staring at the box. " **() ^ o** "

The box suddenly began to rise from the floor of the cave and float near Li.

"Using the Binding Song, you can bind the Verse around physical objects and move them with ease," I explained. "To release the object, simply sing the song again."

Li hummed the Binding Song a second time, and the box sank to the floor. I will admit that at this moment, I was beginning to enjoy educating Li in the wonders of the Verse; enough that I did not tread cautiously in teaching him the Energy Form Song. "Now, try this song: **v u *** "

As I transformed into my Energy Form, I could not help but to notice Li grow severely frightened of me. I could not understand what had scared him so greatly, that is of course until I remembered that I had just transformed into a terrifyingly destructive being of pure energy. I hastily returned to normal and tried to apologize.

"It's fine," Li attempted to assure me. "It's just that...earlier I saw you kill a shark, and I was afraid you would do the same to me. Also, whatever you just did is pretty scary."

"Oh, do not worry, Li, I would never dream of hurting you," I promised. "Perhaps it will be less frightening if you were to try yourself. Repeat after me: **v u *** "

Even as I sang, I actively willed myself not to transform. Instead, I allowed Li that pleasure.

" **v u *** "

There was a flash of light, and the kind man I had come to know no longer existed. In his place was an energy being not unlike myself when I transformed, save for the fact that he glowed blue instead of orange. Li glanced at his hands and smiled darkly before launching several energy sparks toward the ceiling of the cave. When without warning he began to generate a larger energy field, I quickly sang the Shield song for protection in the event that I would be struck by one of his energy tendrils. Thankfully, this was not the case; as Li released the energy field, the sparks flew toward the floor and ceiling of the cave and made no effort to seek me out.

"Oh, sorry about that," Li apologized upon noticing me behind the Shield. "Uh...how do I change back?"

"Focus your energy inward and relax," I instructed. Li closed his glowing eyes and began to do so, and thus it was not long before I was able to see his handsome face yet again.

"As you may have already noticed, the Energy Form is invaluable for combat and self-defense purposes," I lectured. "However, the Verse will not accept your song in any form aside from your natural state."

"I felt so _powerful,_ " Li expressed. "That shark never stood a chance, did it?"

I laughed softly. "No, I suppose it was doomed the moment it chose to make me its next meal. But I digress; there is one more song I have left to teach you."

"Alright, what is this last song?" Li asked eagerly.

"The Beast Form Song: **; * u** "

Upon seeing me transform into an animalistic beast, Li repeated the song and morphed into a beast himself, differing in that while my scales were colored pink and dark purple, his were green and dark blue; we had matching yellow eyes, however. Even as such an aggressive-looking creature, I still found Li to be quite attractive...though that may have been due to the fact that I currently existed as a creature of the same sort. Again without warning, he suddenly dove straight down to the floor of the cave and savagely devoured the fish he had recently forgotten about, not even sparing the bones.

Satisfied with his meal, Li kicked against the floor to return to me, but now he was closer than he was before. He even _smelled_ attractive in this form. I began to feel instinct taking control...which is why I Li and I both chose that moment to revert back to normal.

"Sorry," he spoke quietly. "If I had stayed like that any longer, I might have done something...uncivilized. More so than eating an entire fish in one bite, I mean."

"I understand," I replied, blushing and averting my eyes. Eager to change the subject, I began another explanation. "A-as you have just experienced, the Beast Form grants increased physical strength and enhanced predatory instincts. I have found it useful for defeating large amounts of smaller creatures, or navigating strong currents."

"This...this is amazing," Li expressed. "I've been coming to this island for nearly a decade, and I never would have thought that these waters were basically _enchanted_..."

"I'm glad you feel this way," I replied. "I'm happy just to be sharing my experiences with another."

"Is there...anything you would like me to do for you?" Li offered.

I took a short moment to imagine what I wanted most. "Throughout my memory, I have always been alone. I cannot remember where I came from, let alone any details from my past. I've discovered the ruins of past civilizations, but never another living person...until now. I would love nothing more if you were to accompany me on my journey to discover who I really am."

Li seemed to be somewhat surprised at my request, but as he took my hand and spoke, I could not doubt the sincerity of his response. "Naija, I'd love to explore these waters and help you find yourself. For a while I've had many questions about this place, but no way to find answers. If we adventure together...it could greatly benefit us both."

"It will not be easy," I warned. "Aquaria is filled with dangerous creatures. I have fought _gods_ in search of the truth."

"It'll be worth it," Li insisted. "This was never known to be a safe place, but that's never stopped me before...though I may need a little more practice with the Verse before we start. In the meantime, it sounds like you've had a difficult time getting here; if you'd like to rest here for the night, you're more than welcome to do so."

"Thank you...very much," I expressed quietly. "I am indeed quite exhausted, but please feel free to ask me for help should you need it."

At that moment, I left Li to experiment with his new abilities, and swam toward the cave exit to record today's events within the memory crystal. Once I felt satisfied that the memories of my first encounter with another person would be fully preserved, I allowed myself to rest on a bed of plants while Li continued to hum the songs I had taught him and explore the powers that they granted him. After several minutes had passed, I observed as he became perplexed and swam over to me.

"Naija," he addressed me, "do you happen to recognize this song? **; () ^** "

As Li hummed the song, I felt the Verse draw us close together. "That must be Our Song," I reasoned. "We can use it to summon each other should we become separated."

"That's good to know," Li smiled. "Well, I think I'm ready to call it a day. Good night, Naija."

"...Good night, Li."

Li swam up toward the Veil and climbed out of the water to access his living quarters. As the cave continued to grow dark, I began to reflect on what had just transpired. We had both set out to find answers, and together, we would be able to explore further than either of us could on our own. For the first time in all my memory...

I was not alone.

* * *

 **I wanted to use the "at" symbol for the blue note, but this website won't accept that, so I'll be using a lowercase o for the blue note and an uppercase O for the purple note.**

 **Actually, here's a key for how I will portray all of the notes:**

 **() = green ellipse (low C)**

 **^ = two teal leaves pointing downward (D)**

 **o = blue spiral (E)**

 **O = purple circle (F)**

 **; = red drop (G)**

 *** = scarlet sun (A)**

 **u = orange bowl (B-flat/B)**

 **v= two yellow leaves pointing upward (high C)**

 **Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review.**


	3. Ocean Adventures

**I originally expected this chapter to be shorter, but I was able to throw in more interesting moments than I anticipated.**

* * *

 **Li**

Once I made my way out of the water, I took off my scuba suit, dried myself off, and (sort of hoping Naija didn't know how to walk) went to sleep in just my underwear. Or rather I tried to go to sleep; after becoming adjusted to aquatic life, the cot inside my tent felt hard and dry. After about an hour of discomfort, I gave up and went for my scuba suit again, not wanting to get any of my clothes wet. After detaching the air tank, which I wouldn't need anymore, I put the suit back on myself.

I lowered myself into the water slowly to avoid waking up Naija and started to look for a place to sleep. Most of the bottom of the cave seemed to be too rocky to sleep on, the only comfortable spot being a nest of plants near the one where Naija was sleeping. I began to position myself against the plants and sleep.

Naija seemed to be a very kind person; somewhat shy, but good-humored and patient. I wondered if it was a strange coincidence that we spoke the same language or if the Verse was just allowing us to communicate clearly with each other. Speaking of such, I wasn't sure if it was because of the Verse, if it was just me, or both, but I felt like I was already starting to fall in love with her. I decided to wait until the morning when we started exploring...what did she call this place...Aquaria and see where things would go from there.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to Naija singing Our Song, at which I smiled, remembering that this was the same way I had woken her up the previous day. The Sun was already shining brightly, so after a quick breakfast, we exited the cave to begin our adventure.

"So...where do you want to start?" I asked Naija.

She pointed to two caves on the ocean floor. "I arrived here from that cave," she said, "so I'd like to explore this one, if we may."

"Sounds good to me. Now let's go learn some secrets."

We began to swim towards the cave closer to mine, which turned out to be surprisingly well lit.

"Be careful, there are hostile creatures hidden in the sand," Naija warned me.

As we approached a mound of sand within the cave, I stopped to have a look. Sure enough, I was able to perceive a flat but solid, sand-colored fish. When I slowly moved closer, the fish suddenly leaped off of the sand and almost hit me in the face before floating back downward. I resolved to avoid piles of sand from then on.

We continued to swim through the cave making sure to steer clear of sand and puffer fish. We had only traveled for a few minutes, but I was already getting tired; I was a pretty good swimmer, but Naija had strong legs and was a fair amount faster than I was. I eventually had to hum the Beast Form Song in order to inherit the strength necessary to keep up, only for Naija to transform into Beast Form herself and playfully race ahead. Thankfully, once she was out of sight, I suddenly appeared right next to her, meaning she had used Our Song to help me catch up.

"Thanks," I said to her, smiling. "I'm going to need to exercise more, this is already wearing me out."

"I would not disagree," Naija smiled back. "In the meantime, however, I would be more than happy to slow down for you if you would like."

We continued through the cave at a slightly more leisurely pace, at which point I started to notice the giant starfish all over the walls and plentiful amounts of coral along the floor. It all appeared somewhat normal (at least for a magical ocean world) aside from one object.

"Li, do you know what this strange contraption could be?" Naija asked me, referring to a wrecked, fish-shaped vehicle in front of us.

"I think it's a submarine," I answered. "Humans use them to travel underwater. I guess this is from back when we were studying this island...?"

"I'm intrigued...how can humans travel underwater if they cannot breathe water?" Naija inquired.

"Well, a functional submarine would have a window that seals shut so it can hold air. Also, remember that helmet I was wearing when we first met? That held air and helped me breathe."

"Oh...I suppose I must apologize for removing it, then."

"It's okay, you didn't know." I looked up toward a strong current above us, and then turned back to Naija. "Shall we continue?"

We made our way up to the current and began to ride it, which turned out to be one of the more fun things I had ever done at the island. The current pulled us along at about fifteen miles per hour, and although the cave curved slightly, the current did well to direct us away from the walls. During the ride, Naija gracefully performed a few backflips and rolls, which I couldn't tell were for fun or to show off...but I wouldn't complain either way.

We were both laughing by the time we reached the end of the current.

"That was _fun_ ," I commented. "Felt like a roller coaster. Are there many more currents like that in Aquaria?"

"Yes, lots," Naija replied. "And what is a 'roller coaster?'"

"I'll tell you later. Come on, let's keep going." Naija may have been a master swimmer, but I still had quite a lot to teach her about anything non-water related.

We had hardly gone ten more feet when Naija moved in front of me to stop me. "Whoa, is something wrong?" I asked her.

"There is an enemy nearby," she answered, softly holding my shoulders. "Wait here, and if it comes after you, sing the Shield Song."

"Uh, alright," I reluctantly agreed. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you fight? I still remember the Energy Form Song."

"I will be alright, and I would not wish for you to get hurt. This creature hides well."

"Well, I trust you. Good luck," I wished her, moving myself slightly backwards.

Naija moved forward slowly, until a starfish about my size on the wall of the cave suddenly floated forward to block her path and opened an eye on its center; in immediate response to this, Naija activated her Beast Form to prepare to fight. The starfish fired a star-shaped energy blast at her, which she dodged by kicking to the side, and then she swerved forward to latch onto it, aggressively tearing off one of its points with her teeth. She proceeded to throw it against the floor before it could shoot at her again. Without even giving it a chance to get up, Beast Naija tackled the starfish and sliced her teeth straight into its eye, biting a chunk out of it and killing the creature.

I stared wide-eyed as she proceeded to swallow the eye and then transform back to her original form. "Uh...wow," I commented. "That was a fast fight..."

Naija swam back to me. "Perhaps I should have also warned you about how I planned to defeat the creature. If you would rather not watch next time, I will not mind."

"No, it's fine," I insisted. "I guess I just...didn't realize you were so good at killing things or something."

"It should be safe to proceed now," Naija suggested. "There is another current here if you would like to use it."

"Why not?"

We entered a weaker current that provided a somewhat relaxing ride...until the end when we became surrounded by three more one-eyed starfish.

"I'm not going to let these guys gang up on you," I stated firmly. " **v u *** "

As I transformed, I felt a rush of pure power spread through my entire body, fueling an appetite for destruction. I began to swim sideways, while launching a succession of blue energy sparks from my hands at the nearest starfish. When it sent its own energy star straight at me, I ducked and charged up several attacks at once and, directing them straight at the starfish's eye, released them. As the shots hit their mark, I grinned while the creature collapsed to the floor.

"Li!"

Just as I started to mentally process the fact that Naija was calling my name, a searing pain erupted in my back. I groaned sharply, realizing that one of the remaining starfish must have shot me while I was off guard. While I rubbed my back in effort to dull the pain, I watched Beast Naija finish off the last starfish by shooting the same stars _from her mouth._ The very next moment, she changed back to normal and rushed over to me.

"Are you alright?" she asked me, appearing very concerned.

"Did you...just vomit those stars back at them?" I asked back, surprised yet again.

"The Beast Form allows use of the weapons of any creatures that are consumed," Naija answered. "Now, please tell me if you are still in pain."

"Fine, it still hurts," I replied, "but I'll be fine."

"You need healing," she insisted. "When a creature dies, the Verse may preserve a fraction of its life essence that, when absorbed, will cure wounds."

As Naija was explaining this, I did notice a small spark of blue light floating in the spot where the starfish had been when I killed it. As I reached out to touch it, I felt it travel through me and extinguish the burning in my back...though noticing that my hand was still on fire, I decided to switch back to my normal form.

"There, all healed up," I remarked, before Naija threw her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Please understand that I absolutely cannot stand to watch you suffer," she told me quietly. "I would much rather suffer myself than allow pain to find you."

I gently hugged her back. "Naija, listen," I explained. "I know you care about me, and I know that I don't know this world as well as you do, but...I don't want you to feel like you have to endure everything on your own. I came with you so I could help you fight and solve problems, and if I don't...I feel like more of a burden than anything else. I'll try my best to stay safe, but I also want to protect you."

Naija moved outward to look me in the eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she closed her eyes and kissed me just as she had when we first met. Once again, I could feel the Verse flowing between us and renewing our bond, but this time we didn't lose consciousness. I allowed Naija to break the kiss when she was ready.

"You were never a burden," she whispered to me. "There was not a moment spent near you when I felt remotely troubled."

"There's nothing I'd rather do right now than be exploring with you," I whispered back, before kissing her in return. This one was slightly shorter than the last, the reason being that I was about ready to continue forward through the cave.

"Now, shall we keep going?" I asked.

"Of course," Naija smiled.

We began to swim forward yet again. When reached a split in the cave, we chose the path that was not a current running towards us, until we came to an area where one wall was entirely covered in crabs. Before I realized what was happening, Naija softly sang the Energy Form Song, nonchalantly killed a crab, and then started to scavenge its flesh without transforming back. It took her a moment for her to notice me watching her while she was eating.

"...I do enjoy crab meat," she explained sheepishly. "Would you like some?"

"Actually, crab does sound pretty good right now," I replied, proceeding to hum the Energy Form Song and hunt my own crab. Conveniently, these crabs were slow and were destroyed quickly. Crab turned out to be a lot crunchier than fish, and had a slightly different flavor, but was still tasty. Now I understood why lobster was such an expensive meal back home.

As we kept snacking, we made our way to the end of the cave, which opened out to another area of the surface of the ocean near the island. "Huh," I remarked. "I've been coming here for eight years, but I've never seen this side of the island."

When our heads broke the surface of the water, I noticed a huge brass tower built into the cliff to our left. "Naija, look," I said, pointing to the tower. "That doesn't look like human architecture. Maybe it's Aquarian?"

Naija began to stare at the tower for a few seconds. "I wonder what race could have constructed something this ornate," she pondered. "There is an entrance down underwater, shall we go inside?"

"I couldn't possibly think of a better idea right now."

With that, we both dove back underwater and began to swim inside.

* * *

 **Got romantic there for a minute, huh?**

 **Once again, thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review.**


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